I keep seeing this assumption that positioning sits somewhere between
sales and marketing, like both teams should shape it together. To me,
that’s a mistake.
Positioning is part of branding.
It’s not something you define on a sales call.
It’s not a bullet point you tweak depending on who’s in the room.
And it definitely shouldn’t be created in isolation by a sales team just
to help close deals.
Positioning is the outcome of doing your branding work properly.
It comes after defining your vision, your mission, your roadmap. It’s rooted in understanding your real competitors, not just the companies that look like you, but the products people turn to if you didn’t exist. It’s about knowing who truly cares about what you’re building, and how to speak to them.
When companies skip that and jump straight into “features and benefits,” things break. Even at the sales level, especially at the sales level, leading with features and benefits kills the lead. You might move fast, but you’re heading in the wrong direction. You end up building decks, campaigns, and pitches that talk to the wrong people in the wrong way.
I’ve seen this happen again and again, even in smart, well-funded teams.
Branding doesn’t slow you down.
It sets the direction.
Marketing carries it.
Sales delivers it.
In that order.